Be My Royal Romance
by PrincessTriSarahTops
Summary: One Afternoon Princes Roberto & Edward approach their friend Gwen asking er to act as a cultural liaison between the six union kingdoms and an outside kingdom, Cordonia. Would Gwen have agreed to attend the gala if she'd known she would fall in love with Cordonia's dashing and charming King Liam?
1. Chapter 1

_ Gwendolyn Grah__am is just like every other student at Charles University. Except that her best friends happen to all be crown princes from six neighboring kingdoms. It's not always easy being the grounding force between her friends but it is almost always interesting. One afternoon Princes Roberto & Edward approach Gwen asking her to act as a cultural liaison between the six union kingdoms and an outside kingdom, Cordonia. Would Gwen have agreed to attend the gala if she'd known she would fall in love with Cordonia's dashing and charming King Liam?_

* * *

Twenty-five-year-old Gwendolyn Graham blinked several times as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight. She'd just stepped outside of her university's history and social sciences building. It had been a long morning hopping from class to class and the glowing fluorescent lights inside were no match for the crisp natural sun streaming through the courtyard that afternoon. Gwen began walking towards the gates of the school grounds where she knew a car would be waiting to take her back home.

"Hey, Gwendolyn?" One of the guys from her last class tried to get her attention. Gwen turned to him, indicating she was listening. "Those guys over there are looking for you. Do you know them?" He pointed over to the school's gates.

"Gwen! Hey Gwen!" Shouting her name and waving wildly was her friend Roberto. It looked like Roberto had brought along another of their friends, Edward. Edward and Rob stood out from the rest of the university crowd milling around the school grounds partially because they weren't students at Gwendolyn's school, but mostly because they were Crown Princes of their respective countries.

"Yeah." Gwen adjusted her backpack on her shoulders uncomfortably. "That's my housemate and his friend." She answered vaguely before running off. It wasn't exactly a lie, she was currently living at Villa Altaria, Prince Roberto's palace.

"Roberto, you're drawing quite a lot of attention." Edward, the more dignified of the two, quietly commented. "That was not part of our plan."

"Aw c'mon Ed!" Roberto chuckled loudly, even though he knew Edward was not a fan of nicknames. "I haven't seen Gwen in forever! I'm just excited." Edward didn't ask how it was possible to live in the same palace as someone but never see them. He knew all too well how busy the life of a crown prince could be and he knew exactly how much preparation it required to clear even an hour or two out of ones schedule.

Trying to avoid drawing more unwanted attention Gwen quickly made her way over to her friends. She noticed even from a distance that they were both dressed as casually as princes could. For Edward that meant cool grey slacks, a white button up shirt and a navy and white striped a Cardigan. He stood straight and regal next to Roberto who'd taken to leaning on a nearby gate pole. Rob wore a pair of fitted dark blue trousers, a white t-shirt, a blue silk ascot tie, and a chocolate brown blazer that complimented his eyes. The pair of them were quite a sight.

She noticed even from a distance that they were both dressed as casually as princes could. For Edward that meant cool grey slacks, a white button up shirt and a navy and white striped a Cardigan. He stood straight and regal next to Roberto who'd taken to leaning on a nearby gate pole. Rob wore a pair of fitted dark blue trousers, a white t-shirt, a blue silk ascot tie, and a chocolate brown blazer that complimented his eyes. The pair of them were quite a sight.

"Prince Edward, Prince Roberto." Gwen greeted each of them with a respectful nod in place of the traditional bow or curtsy. "What brings the two of you all the way out here?"

Gwen knew from their casual state of dress that the Princes weren't at the school for official business, so she could only assume they were there to see her. She noted the careful expression on Edward's face and the never wavering smile on Roberto's as she waited for her friends to explain themselves.

"We wanted to extend you an invitation." Roberto explained, seemingly unaware of the attention they'd gathered around.

"Perhaps we could discuss things over tea?" Edward suggested. Unlike Roberto he was very much aware of all the eyes on their small group and the hushed conversations happening around them. "That is if you're free to travel with us Miss Gwendolyn?"

"I've already finished my classes for the day." Gwen supplied. "Plus, I've made it a rule to never turn down tea at Edward's secret garden."

"Then our chariot awaits!" With a flourish of his hand Edward gestured towards a limousine on the other side of the university gates.

Gwen noticed the flags of Altaria, Roberto's kingdom, posted at the front of the limo, so the car belonged to Roberto. Two figures stood by the car. Roberto's Butler, Alberto, was waiting outside of the car impatiently. He stared at his watch painstaking visualizing the seconds tick by. Alberto was the type of person who appreciated efficiency and timeliness, neither was something that Roberto held much stake in. Edward's Butler, Louis, was also standing outside of the car. He kept a watchful on their surroundings as two Princes and their friend walked towards the car.

"Miss Gwendolyn, lovely to see you again." Louis commented when she was close enough to the car that he didn't need to shout the friendly greeting. Alberto looked up from his watch at the mention of their newest guest.

"Yes, hello. Into to car if you wouldn't mind, Miss Gwendolyn. We have a tight schedule to keep." Alberto opened the back door of the limo and waited expectantly. Gwendolyn nodded to show that she understood. She quickly removed her backpack and climbed into the limo. Roberto and Edward soon slid in after her. Alberto got behind the steering wheel and Louis sat in the passenger's seat beside him. One of the butlers pulled up the partition separating them from their passengers.

"As always, it's nice to see both of you." Gwen told her friends with a smile. "I'm sorry that I haven't been available lately. School's been a bit much."

"It's understandable." Edward commented. "No one could fault you for valuing your education and our own schedules haven't been easy to manage either, have they Roberto?"

"That's right." Rob nodded. "Ed and I have been busy with official Prince duties." He frowned. "And the parties aren't nearly as fun without you."

"Well, the semester is nearly over. Maybe I can make time for a party or two soon." Gwen propositioned hopefully. "Now are you really going to make me wait till we get to the palace before you tell me what's going on? Like I said I'm thrilled to see you both but neither of you come to meet me at the school very often. Usually when that happens you've either got bad news or you're planning a party. So, which is it?"

"We're almost at the palace." Edward announced. "I think it would be much better to discuss matters surrounded by the sweet delicate scent of flowers and the warmth of the sun on our faces."

Edward was right, they were almost at his palace. Edward was the crowned Prince of Charles Kingdom, the very same Kingdom where Gwen was a student. So it was a very short car ride before the enchanting Charles Palace came into view from inside the limo. Of the castles that she'd been lucky enough to visit, Gwen thought that Charles Palace reminded her the most of a fairytale. With the exterior being constructed mostly of limestone, the palace featured several towers topped with twisted spires. Large banners bearing the Levaincois family crest were proudly displayed at the front gates of the castle.

Alberto drove the limo along a stonework driveway. An intricate zig-zag pattern of limestone that had been laid down centuries ago. The driveway was lined on both sides with rose bushes. Gwendolyn tried to name each variety as their vehicle cruised by. She inhaled deeply, believing she could smell the flowers despite all the windows on the limo being seated up tightly. The car came to a stop at the end of the driveway. Louis opened the door and the three friends piled out of the car. While Alberto drove the limo off, Louis guided the group to Edward's secret garden.


	2. Chapter 2

Prince Edward's secret garden wasn't just secret in name. It was truly a private garden open only to Edward and anyone he sought fit to invite in. Hidden behind high walls of hedges near the west corner of the castle was the garden's entrance protected by a curtain of ivy. The secret garden was a vast collection of the most beautiful flowers imaginable. The first time Gwen had been invited inside Edward had taken her on a detailed tour and pointed out every flower or piece of foliage by name. She regretted that she couldn't remember all their names now, but at least she could identify the small patch of bushes proudly growing delicate pink roses. This variety of blush colored petals was the rose often associated with the Levaincois family.

Within minutes a table filled with treats and a warm kettle of tea had been set in the garden. Gwendolyn, Roberto and Edward sat together, the host pouring the tea. Once again Louis and Alberto stood separate from the group. They were chatting quietly but their attention, at least part of it, never strayed from their Princes.

"Alright, now that we're settled properly," Edward set the sugar bowl he'd been holding down on the table and smiled. "I'm ashamed to admit that you've seen through our ruse Miss Gwendolyn. There is a party that we wish to invite you to." Gwendolyn smirked. She enjoyed being right and both Edward and Roberto knew this about her. She held her teacup in her hand and waited for Edward to continue.

"I'm throwing a small gala here at Charles Palace." He explained. "All the usual guests will be there. Prince Robert of course, and the others from the union. Prince Glen, Prince Keith, Prince Josh, Prince Wilfred and representatives from Noble Michael will be invited as well. But I've also decided to include nobles from outside of the union on the guest list."

Gwendolyn was surprised to hear this. The union that Edward spoke of was based on a peace and trade treaty for six kingdoms who shared borders one way or another as well as a seventh kingdom, Noble Michael, in the center which bordered all six of the other kingdoms simultaneously. Because of this treaty the seven unified kingdoms were able to operate with little to no involvement from other countries around the world. It wasn't as if they weren't allowed to visit or interact with other kingdoms, it was just very rare.

"I thought this might interest you as you yourself are not from a union kingdom." Edward smiled. The possibility that she may be the only person Edward knew who wasn't from a union kingdom had crossed her mind before, but Gwen hadn't thought about it since she'd first became friends with the princes. "You would be doing me a great favor if you were to attend the party as a cultural liaison."

"Me?" Gwen put her tea down carefully. The last thing she wanted was to spill her tea or worse break one of Edward's teacups. "I mean I'm honored, Prince Edward, but I'm not sure I'm qualified to…"

"Don't be silly Gwen!" Roberto insisted. "You were able to get all of us to understand each other. If it weren't for you, we'd never know about Josh's love for rice balls or, well, anything about Wilfred. Your good with people."

"All I've ever done is listen and be supportive." Gwen countered. "It was easy enough to become good friends with the two of you, but some of the others took time. It definitely wouldn't have happened at a single gala."

"Perhaps I should explain further." Edward suggested. "The intended purpose of this gala is to invite other kingdoms to see how things are done here. Monarchies are few and far these days. It would be nice to get to know some of the royals we're not as closely associated with."

"Are you looking for allies?" Gwen asked. "More kingdoms to join the union."

"Potentially." Edward nodded before taking another sip from his tea.

"We're interested in one country in particular, Cordonia. They're a pretty big kingdom and they're financially stable." Roberto told her.

"How do the other princes feel about this?" Gwen wanted to know.

"They're reluctant to relinquish any power." Edward confessed. "But they understand that the extra capital could help us all."

"Forgive me if this is a rude question but what exactly makes Cordonia so rich?" Gwen realized her tea was beginning to get cold. She picked up her teacup again and sipped from it for the first time. Instead of the usual sweet floral taste of Edwards signature rose petal tea, it was a spicy herbal flavor.

"Apples." Roberto explained watching her confused expression. "That's what's in the tea."

"Yes, Cordonia's primary export." Edward nodded. "I thought a bit of Cordonian apple tea would be appropriate for our meeting. But it's not just apples that contribute to Cordonia's success. They have several duchys that seem to run almost independently much like your United States. The truth is we don't know much about Cordonia."

"That's where you come in." Roberto chimed. "Ed was telling me all about his plan to invite the Cordonian King to a party and he said he was having trouble researching Cordonia. I told him that your great at research. You spend so much time at your school library and the one at the villa."

"Well, yeah, but doing research for a paper is a little different than doing research for I don't know, political intrigue." Gwen shrugged. She was honored that her friends had thought of her for such an important task, but surely, they had someone more qualified for something like this. Charles in particular was a kingdom that celebrated knowledge. It was one of the reasons she'd chosen to study there in the first place.

"Listen, I wasn't going to say anything until we were on the way back to Altaria but the only way Keithster and Wills agreed to this whole plan was if you came to the party." Roberto confessed.

"Prince Keith, said that he wanted me there?" Gwen raised her eyebrows in surprise. She had a good relationship with all six princes, but Prince Keith was the most abrasive of the group. His kingdom, Liberty, valued freedom most of all and this often left Keith under the impression that he could speak his mind whether his opinion was constructive or not.

"Liberty has been hit with a rather hard recession, as you know." Edward reminded her. "He would gladly accept financial aid from Cordonia but has concerns that this may affect his people's freedoms. Prince Keith trusts you to give a fair assessment of Cordonia King's relationship with his people. In Prince Wilfred's case, Phillip is a very traditions-based Kingdom. He doesn't want to welcome anyone into our union who may jeopardize those traditions."

"You've all really thought about this." Gwen sat back in her seat and looked between her two friends thoughtfully. The princes had managed to persuade her into doing crazy things before, like the time Roberto told an entire room of partygoers that she was his fiancé. This was the first time that they'd actually come to her with a royal responsibility. It was also one of the rare occasions that all six of them seemed to be in agreement about something.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, when's the gala?" Gwen asked.

"A little over a month from now." Roberto told her. "The first day of summer. You should be finished with school by then so it's perfect timing."

"Yeah, perfect." Gwen held back a laugh.

"In the meantime, you'll have unprecedented access to the Royal libraries of all six Kingdoms as well as Noble Michael. Prince Roberto, myself and the others will try to be available to whenever you have questions. I have complete faith that you will perform this task admirably, Miss Gwendolyn."

"I hate to cut the visit short, Ed." Roberto said, rising to his feet, but I'm afraid I'm due back home for a meeting with the King. Gwen, would you like to ride home with me? I can always have Al send a care later if you prefer to stay."

"As much as I enjoy Prince Edward's company, I'm afraid I do have schoolwork and now a great deal of research to get started on." Gwen stood up too. "Until next time Prince Edward."

"It was wonderful having you both hear." Edward assured them with a smile. "Louis will show you out. I'm going to have another cup of tea, but Miss Gwendolyn please don't hesitate to ask for help should you need it and thank you so much for doing this for us."


	3. Chapter 3

"If you continue writing like that, you're going to burn a hole through the paper." Roberto laughed. They were almost back at Villa Altaria and Gwen hadn't spoken to him the entire ride from Charles. Instead she'd been scribbling intently in her notebook the whole way. Gwen looked up from her notebook wearing an apologetic smile.

"Now Rob, you and the others have trusted me with an important task. I want to make sure I do things right. I want to start by meeting with each of the princes to see exactly what they want to gain from a union with Cordonia and what they're afraid they'll lose." She explained. "I know Wilfred likes to have his meetings early in the morning and that he prefers to have everything scheduled through Claude but Glenn likes to schedule his appointments himself…."

"Why don't you start with me?" Roberto asked.

"Alright." Gwendolyn repositioned herself so that she could better interview her friend. She changed her notebook to a blank page and asked her first question. "Prince Roberto of Altaria, what do you hope to gain from a relationship with Cordonia, if we are able to build one?"

"Not much honestly." Roberto yawned. "Altaria's in a good place. I just hope these Cordonians know how to have fun. The others can be stuffy a lot of the time, don't you think?"

"Seriously? That's what you're hoping for?" Gwen couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You just want some new friends to hang out with?"

"It sounds better if you say that I'm looking forward to making new allies." Roberto decided. "Plus, it would be nice to explore and see new places."

"I see." Gwen wrote Roberto's answer down. "And are you worried about having to give anything up?"

"No." Roberto answered confidently. "We've been able to make things work with the other kingdoms. How hard could it be to add one more?"

"Well, introducing another kingdom into the union will be more taxing on everyone's resources." Gwen sighed. "And Prince Edward said that Cordonia is a large kingdom. That might spread resources even thinner."

"Miss Gwendolyn is right, Your Highness." Alberto added from the driver's seat. Gwen and Roberto turned and faced the back of his head with surprise. Neither of them realized that he'd been listening in on their conversation. "Adding another kingdom will change things in Altaria for better or worse. You should consider this change seriously."

"Yeah, okay." Roberto rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Can I think about my answers a little longer?"

"Sure Rob." Gwen nodded. "I know Al said you have a tight schedule to keep this afternoon but maybe later we can hang out and watch a movie?"

"That'd be great." Roberto's smile returned. "I'll work extra hard so that we can hang out."

"Miss Gwendolyn, Prince Roberto, welcome home." Alberto turned the limo onto the twisting driveway of Villa Altaria and within seconds the Altarian palace came into view.

Over the next five weeks Gwendolyn worked tirelessly. She somehow managed to finish all her schoolwork as well as find time to interview four of the six princes. (Roberto had yet to express any serious concerns to her and she knew she would have time to speak with Edward before the gala the next morning.) While visiting the princes, she stopped in each of their royal libraries for information on Cordonia and also any relevant information about the union kingdoms. She even tried her best to find out about the other nonunion kingdoms that would be invited to Prince Edward's Gala.

It was the evening before the gala. In the morning Gwen, Prince Roberto and Alberto would all be traveling back to Charles to help Edward with the final preparations. Currently Gwendolyn sat cross-legged on the floor of her room at Villa Altaria. Cordonian newspapers and magazines were stacked neatly by one of her knees. Next to the stack was a file folder filled with all the information she'd gathered on the applecentric Kingdom. Spread out in a fan around her were folders for each of the six union kingdoms and three more kingdoms that had been invited to the gala. Gwen was currently skimming through one of the Cordonian newspapers when someone knocked on her door.

"Come in." She called loudly, assuming it was Alberto. He usually came by to see if she needed anything before he retired for the night. She looked up from the magazine to see Prince Roberto holding a tray of tea with a few cookies carefully arranged on it.

"I saw that your lights were still on and thought I'd bring you a treat before bed." He explained placing the tea tray on a nearby table. "You've been working so hard."

"Cordonia wasn't exactly easy to research." Gwen yawned as she got to her feet. She stretched a little and shook out her tired limbs as she walked over to the table where Roberto stood. "But I'm sure it will all be worth it tomorrow when the King and his entourage arrive tomorrow. King Liam shares several similarities with all of you."

"Oh yeah?" Roberto asked, stealing a cookie for himself. "Like what?"

"Well, just like Wilfred Liam wasn't originally the crown prince of Cordonia." Gwen prepared herself a cup of tea as she talked with Roberto. "He had an older brother, Leo, who abdicated. Cordonia is a Kingdom with a _lot _of traditions and although they don't have as many laws as Dres Van, their justice system is no joke. Just like Edward said the royal family tends to leave day to day governing to the Dukes and Duchesses of their varying provinces. They only intervene on matters that will affect the kingdom as a whole. Prince Keith will like that."

"You were able to discover all of this from newspapers and fashion magazines?" Robert questioned as he bit into a second cookie.

"Not at all!" Gwen laughed. "The reason the six of you know so little about Cordonia is because most of the information available in the royal libraries across the six kingdoms is written a Cordonian specific dialect of Greek. It's an older practically unused language since most of Cordonia speaks English today. Only older or ceremonial legal documents are even written in it. Luckily Charles University has an excellent library and I was able to get English translations of almost anything I needed."

"And the fashion magazines?" Roberto asked again.

"That's because I started looking into Cordonia's more recent history." Gwen sighed. She paused to sip from her tea. "Once I knew what kind of Kingdom Cordonia was, I wanted to know what kind of King Liam was."

"What did you find out?" He wanted to know.

"I think in honor of fairness, I ought to let you make your own first impression along with the others tomorrow." Gwen commented, finishing her tea. She set her teacup down, suddenly looking very serious. "Hey Rob, I've never really been able to thank you…"

"Thank me?" Roberto looked confused, before nodding. "Oh, for the tea. It's no big deal. Al brings you tea all the time."

"What? No not for the tea." She shook her head. "I meant everything else. You were the reason I came to Altaria in the first place…"

"You mean me and my big mouth." He huffed regrettably.

"I wouldn't exactly put it that way, but it was still nice of you to allow me to stay at the Villa when it wasn't safe for me to go back to my apartment in Charles." Gwen told him. "And even after everything that happened, when I said I thought it was best for us to stay friends. You still insisted that I stay in Altaria. And you were the one who suggested that I be in charge of researching Cordonia for the others. Things have been so chaotic that I've just never had a chance to thank you for being such a good friend."

"It was nothing! That's what friend's do isn't?" Roberto waved her off, his usual smile returning. He changed the subject quickly. "Say, I did think of one thing you can add to your list."

"My list?" Gwen didn't quite understand.

"Yeah your list of things we're afraid to lose." Roberto explained.

"Oh right. What is? I'll write it down." Gwen asked, searching around the room for a pen.

"It's not a big deal." He remarked casually. "Just promise me that no matter what happens we'll always be friends. I just have this feeling that after tomorrow everything is going to change."

"Rob, we'll always be friends. I can promise you that." Gwen assured him.

"I'm glad we've settled that. You should probably get some rest." He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "We wouldn't want you too tired for the big Gala! Oh, and I had Al leave something in the closet for you while you were at school earlier, but don't look until the morning, okay?"

With a playful smile on his lips, Roberto winked before sauntering out of the room. Yawning again, Gwen got to work gathering all her folders, magazines and newspapers off the ground. She wanted everything together and ready when it was time to leave for Charles in the morning. As she cleaned and straighten, she did cast a wistful glace at the closet wondering if she should dare a peek inside. The surprise gift from Roberto could only be a new dress for the gala. Shaking her head, Gwen decided to keep her promise not to look until tomorrow. She changed and turned off the lights before tip-toeing across the marble floor and snuggling into bed for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

"Miss Gwendolyn?" Gwen woke the next morning to a sharp knock that could only belong to Alberto.

"Good morning Al!" She called through the door as she climbed out of bed. She made her way to the door and let the butler in. Alberto stepped inside carrying a tray with a light breakfast and a cup of coffee.

"Due to today's busy schedule I think it would be more efficient for you and Prince Roberto to have breakfast in your rooms. It will allow you more time to get ready for the gala." He explained. "I'll be by to check on you in a short while."

"Thanks Al." Gwen nodded, already reaching for the coffee. Alberto bowed and began to exit the room when she called out to him. "Oh Alberto, one more thing. Could you take my dress down out of the closet? You know I have the hardest time getting those things out of the bags."

"Certainly Miss Gwendolyn." Alberto allowed himself a small smile as he crossed the room. He remembered all too well the last time Prince Roberto had taken Gwendolyn to a party. She'd somehow managed to get a $4,000 dress caught in the garment bag's zipper. When she'd tried to loosen the dress herself it caused a small tear. She'd been fortunate that the royal seamstress was able to make a perfect repair, and no one had noticed the damage, not even the gown's design who'd been in attendance that evening.

Alberto carefully removed the new dress from its bag and displayed it safely on Gwendolyn's bed. She put her coffee down and joined Al by the bed. As she took in the sight of the ball gown she couldn't stop herself from gasping. The top was a tightly fitted corset covered in hundreds of rhinestones and beads. The sleeves were two off the shoulder strips of rose gold fabric also covered in glittering gems. Each of the gems on the sleeves and bodice were held in place by rose gold fittings. The skirt was an enormous mountain of pale pink tule, the top layer of which was covered in even more rose gold and rhinestones.

"He can't be serious." Gwendolyn scoffed. "I can't wear this! It looks like it weighs more than I do."

"I believe it was Prince Roberto's intention that you stand out at the gala this evening." Alberto suggested.

"Well, I'd say mission accomplished." She sighed. "I'm going to look like a giant cupcake."

"Perhaps I should go check on his highness…" Alberto bowed again and backed out of the room.

Turning her attention away from the cupcake ballgown for now, Gwen began to eat the breakfast that Alberto has brought in earlier. She was grateful for the coffee he'd sent along because they were starting their day so early. From her room's windows she could tell that the sun had only just begun to stretch across Altaria. If Prince Edward's gala was anything like the others she'd attended with the princes, it would stretch very late into the evening as well. They had a long day ahead of them, there was no question about it.

While she ate Gwen skimmed through her files again, trying to cram as much information into her brain as possible. After her meal was gone and her coffee cup emptied, it was time to wrestle herself into the monstrous cupcake gown. Gwen stood over her bed again wondering how on earth she was going to get inside the thing. Just then there was another knock at the door, it was softer and different from Al's. Gwen wondered if it could be Roberto.

"Good. I can ask him how I'm supposed to impress foreign dignitaries while looking like I'm part of the dessert table." She quickly made her way over to the door without bothering to ask who it was. "Oh!" She was surprised. Rather than Prince Roberto it was one of the maids.

"Miss Gwendolyn, please forgive me if I'm interrupting anything." The maid bowed apologetically.

"No, it's alright." Gwen assured her with a smile. "I've just finished my breakfast and was about to get dressed.

"Oh good, that's why I'm here." The maid explained. "Alberto thought you might need help getting into your gown for the evening. He said it was rather large."

"You have no idea." Gwen laughed and invited the made inside. Now armed with the maid's help it only took a few minutes to put the dress on and tie up the corset in the back. "It doesn't look so bad now." She commented, looking at herself in the mirror as the maid cleaned up her breakfast tray.

"It looks absolutely stunning on you Miss Gwendolyn." The maid nodded with approval.

"Thank you for saying so." Gwen said as she swished the large skirt from side to side watching the tule swing in the full-length mirror before her. "I was afraid I was going to look ridiculous but now that it's on I can appreciate it better. Thank you so much for…" She turned to thank the maid for her help but as she did, she noticed a small slit on one side of the dress. "Oh no, don't tell me I've ripped it! Al's gonna kill me!"

Gwen's hand moved towards the hole trying to asses the damage. When her hands touched silk her heart stopped. How had she managed to rip a hole that big through all that tule down to the silk inner lining of the skirt? She looked down and inspected the hole closer. She breathed with relief when she realized it wasn't a hole at all.

"Should I call for the seamstress?" The maid asked, worriedly.

"There's no need!" Gwendolyn turned to face her excitedly. "The dress isn't torn at all! It has a pocket!" She felt around with her other hand on the other side of the dress too. "Even better!" She remarked. "This dress has two pockets! Alright, I've decided I love this dress and I'll wear it to every royal party forever. Thank you so much for your help!"

"Of course, Miss Gwendolyn, anytime." The maid, looking entirely relived that a crisis had been avoided collected the breakfast tray and dashed from the room as politely as she could.

As much as Gwen wanted to run through the halls of Villa Altaria shouting with joy about finally having pockets in her evening wear, she still had a lot to do before leaving for Charles. The gala, at least one interpretation of it, was meant to be a way for the six kingdoms to metaphorically let down their hair and get to know the visiting dignitaries. So, keeping with the theme and not wanting to look as if she'd been swallowed by her gigantic dress, Gwen decided to let her hair down too; mostly. Pulling just the very top layers of her chestnut brown hair back so that it wouldn't get in her face while she moved about the gala, she curled every section of her naturally wavy hair so that tufts of curls cascaded all around her shoulders. For make-up she decided to go for nudes and natural shades both to compliment the light tones in her dress and the open honest theme of the evening. After final touches and satisfied nod in the mirror, Gwen pocketed her phone, collected her paperwork and set out to find Roberto and Alberto.


End file.
